The Christmas Bird Count: An Over 120 Year Tradition

Backyard Ecology

The Christmas Bird Count, also known as the CBC, began in 1900. For the past 122 years, volunteer birders of all ages and abilities have gathered together to conduct surveys of the birds found in their areas. The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running, community science or citizen science program in the U.S. and has spread to Canada and many other countries.

The data collected through the Christmas Bird Count are extremely valuable and have been used in numerous scientific papers. Perhaps the most well recognized of those papers in recent years is the one published in 2019 citing the drastic decline in bird populations over the past roughly 50 years.

In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we are joined by James Wheat. James is the President of the Kentucky Ornithological Society and the Regional Editor for the Christmas Bird Counts in Kentucky. During our conversation, James and I talk about what the Christmas Bird Count is and why it is so important. He also shares with us what happens on a Christmas Bird Count, who can participate (spoiler alert: anyone who enjoys birdwatching), how people can get involved, and some of his favorite CBC experiences.

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Until next week, I encourage you to take some time to enjoy the nature in your own yard and community.

Related Links:

• James’ email: [e-mail]
• National Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count webpage: https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count
• Kentucky Ornithological Society’s Christmas Bird Count webpage: https://www.birdky.org/annualcbc.php

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Episode image:

• Birdwatchers
• Photo credit: USFWS, public domain